


Coral Blue

by Jongixun



Category: EXO (Band), SHINee, Super Junior
Genre: Alternate Universe - Small Town, Bikers, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Drama, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Local Legends, Love Triangles, M/M, Mermaids, Mild Smut, Mutual Pining, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Mythology - Freeform, Recreational Drug Use, Sea Monsters, Sea-longing, Sehun is a merboy, Strangers to Lovers, Summer Love, Summer Vacation, Urban Legends, jongin is 17
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:55:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24745684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jongixun/pseuds/Jongixun
Summary: Of all the things Jongin had planned to do over summer break, falling in love with a Merman was definitely not one of them!
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Zhang Yi Xing | Lay, Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Park Chanyeol, Kim Jongin | Kai/Oh Sehun, Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Wu Yi Fan | Kris
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Coral Blue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Devilsmidnightdance](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Devilsmidnightdance/gifts).



> please read tags, Hope you enjoy reading!!❤(❁´◡`❁)

“Jongin how many times have I told you not to stick your head out of the window ?!” His mother calls from the front seat. Her eyes were still closed but she scolded him as if they weren’t. 

“Well, I wouldn’t have to if dad would just turn on the air condition” he retorts rolling his eyes. 

The scent of the ocean engulfed the car every time the window was rolled down, it was briny and dry and forever constant during their drive to Westshore. 

Westshore, a seashore fishing town just off the coast. Small, secluded and rainy, Westshore was always wet; sometimes it was like the air itself was soggy. Jongin hated coming here. He hated anything cold or wet. But this was his parent's hometown, where they grew up. His grandparents were here, his aunts, uncles and cousins were all here. It didn't matter how far away they’d moved, or how much time they’d spent away, they always came back. Because this was home.

“Son come on, listen to your mother” 

Sighing Jongin pulled back into the car whining the window up “ugh I hate coming here...it's always so gloomy” 

“Aw, It's not that bad, plus you'll get to see all your cousins especially Kyungsoo again! remember how inseparable you two were, running around the yard, taking baths together- ”

“Oh my god Mom!we were like five,” Jongin says, covering his ears embarrassed. 

His mother smiled reaching to the backseat to pinch his cheek softly “you two were so cute!” 

Playfully slapping her hand away he pouted “I’m still mad at you guys for not telling me about this. You promised we’d go to the beach for a day, and now you’re telling me we’re spending the entirety of summer break here?!” Jongin quarrels. 

“Well we’d hope to surprise you, plus there’s a beach in Westshore!, remember honey?” His mother banters turning to her husband. 

His father smiles fondly “ ah yes, Siren's cove, we should definitely go, maybe we’ll get lucky and spot a mermaid” 

“A what now?” Jongin questions leaning between his parents' seats.

“A mermaid Jongin, it's kind of a local legend around here, they say that if you go down to the cove on rainy nights or when the tide rolls in, you might see a mermaid sitting on the shore, combing her hair.” his father spoke softly gazing at Jongin in the rearview mirror. 

“ Your grandfather swears he saw one once, he would say ‘she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever laid eyes on,” his mother chimes in “ you can only imagine how angry your grandma was with him after he said that.” 

“ furious I bet!”Jongin chuckles 

“Oh lord, she was absolutely livid. She threw her slipper at him— hit him square in the nose.”

“Oh my god” Jongin gasped and they all bursted into laughter before quickly dying down. 

“ I have a feeling that this summer is going to be an unforgettable one.” His mother said, smiling. 

* * *

The gravel of the narrow driveway crunched under the car wheels as his father pulled into it. Jongin hesitated for a moment before exiting the car. It’s been 3 years since he's been here, the last time was for his grandfather’s funeral. 

From where it stood on the hill the rusty, wooden house still looked the same but much dustier. It’s strong cylinder columns were overrun with vines, The roof sagged and the shingles stuck up in places like wonky teeth.

Though he remembered how big the house and yard were, how he and Kyungsoo would hide out in the treehouse and make mud pies in the backyard until the rain chased them inside. 

The old uneven floorboards creaked as his father loaded their luggage onto the porch.

“ Good, we’re finally here, just in time too— a storm’s rolling in,” his mother said as she ascended the stairs, Jongin right behind her.

“ what are you talking about Mom? This is literally the bluest sky I’ve ever seen here.” And he wasn’t wrong. For once the town wasn’t all dark and gloomy. People were actually out and about, on picnics and on walks. Was this really the soggy Westshore he remembered? 

“ When you’ve lived here for as long as me and your mother have you kinda develop a six sense for it, almost as if you can smell it” his father muttered clapping a hand on Jongin ’s back that almost made his knees buckle. “now! Help me unload the rest of the luggage.” 

Jongin obeyed following his father back to the car while his mother knocked on the oaken door. When it swung open his grandmother was there clutching at her apron.

“ oh my goodness!” She greets. “You’re finally here. ” his grandmother said in her usual low, grumbling and unimpressed tone. “Any later and you’d be caught in the storm, looks like it’ll be a real howler” she faked a smile.

_Why does everyone keep saying that?_

“Sorry Ma, we kinda got off to a late start,” Jongin ’s mother said, glancing back at him as if he accidentally intentionally left his luggage behind and only waited till they were three miles away to then tell his parents. 

“That’s alright dear, come inside — ah! There’s my handsome grandson oh~ oh how big you’ve gotten.” His grandmother said gasping as she waddled over to Jongin, pulling him into an embrace. 

“ hehe- It’s good to see you too grandma” his mouth twitched as he hugged her, his grandmother was always so bleak to everyone but never to Jongin, oh no he was always her “ _wittle wumpkin_ ” 

Stepping into the house was like stepping into a Time Capsule. His grandmother's home was a living museum. She had never bought anything more modern than the 1980's. Everything was original or refurbished retro, much like the house itself. Three stories, five bedrooms and three bathrooms ( thank god).His mother had grown up in this house along with her two sisters, his aunts. Aunt Miran, the eldest and Aunt Soojin the second born. They each had sons of their own, Minseok, Jongdae and Junmyeon who, at the moment, were all away at college. 

“I’ve prepared your rooms, did a little bit of redecorating too, hope you don’t mind, Now. You two can sleep in the guest room” said his grandmother as she pointed at his parents “and Jongin, you're in your mom’s old room.”

Oh god no, not his mother’s pastel pink bedroom with posters of the Backstreet Boys and Shinhwa plastered all over the walls. He felt his father clasp a hand on the back of his neck giving him a little nudge of encouragement. 

“You all should get some rest, dinner will be ready shortly”

“Thanks, mom, I'll be down to help you soon as we get settled down.”

Jongin pushed the door open and immediately winced. From the fiery pink lava lamp to the thin iron bed frame, the ugly orange curtains, even the mud colour carpet that looked way too scratchy for anyone's liking, everything was so ancient and oh so very dusty. 

After wiping it he placed his duffel bag on a desk that sat in the corner, littered with old magazines and CDs. A few shelves were pushed against the walls and filled with books. Some books sat on the floor in front of the shelves. He pulled the duvet off and dusted it out before flopping back onto the bed, but the thumping of his parents' footsteps from upstairs had him wincing again. 

So he got back up, pulled the curtains open and _whoa-_ what a view, the last rays of the late afternoon sun shone over the backyard and the forest beyond it and if you squint you could make out the sandy cove. 

Was that the cove his parents were talking about earlier? The one where he might see a —

_Mermaid._


End file.
